Just like toilet paper.

December 9, 2005 10:40 PM

"It’s just a goddamned piece of paper!" : George W. Bush, November 2005, speaking of the U.S. Constitution.
posted by Kickstart70 (82 comments total)

He's right, y'know
posted by hackly_fracture at 10:42 PM on December 9, 2005

at least he has his facts strait.
posted by thanatogenous at 10:43 PM on December 9, 2005

can we try him for treason now? please?
posted by keswick at 10:46 PM on December 9, 2005

Wasn't it parchment?
posted by TwelveTwo at 10:48 PM on December 9, 2005

it's priinted on HEMP, MAN. martha washington was a hip lady, man
posted by keswick at 10:52 PM on December 9, 2005

Much as I find this entirely believable, that's hardly a solid source. And citing _three_ unnamed witnesses doesn't make it any more credible.
posted by words1 at 10:58 PM on December 9, 2005

I heard him say it too, though. So that's four.
posted by hackly_fracture at 10:59 PM on December 9, 2005

If it's true, he impliedly revoked his oath of office, which is a de facto resignation.
posted by Saucy Intruder at 11:03 PM on December 9, 2005

Are you trying to imply he implicitly revoked his oath of office ?
posted by y2karl at 11:08 PM on December 9, 2005

yeah, whatever, it's 2 in the morning.
posted by Saucy Intruder at 11:09 PM on December 9, 2005

This doesn't have a single, solitary shred of credibility. Embarrassing.
posted by kjh at 11:10 PM on December 9, 2005

Who the hell is this guy anyway? He seems to be engaged in the worst kind of rumour mongering around.
posted by lemur at 11:10 PM on December 9, 2005

My jaw really did drop when I read that headline. But of course, the surprise comes not so much because of the content of Bush's statement. After all his actions over the last five years leave little doubt that he doesn't regard the document as sacred in any way. The idea he's expressing isn't that shocking when viewed in context. Reprehensible, yes. But not shocking. However, the fact that he would, in front of a bunch of senators and what not, open his mouth and actually speak the words... I mean, it's like white racists who use the term "nigger." They don't use it while standing in line at the movie theater; they only use it at home and in private. And if they do start using it out in public, we all know what that means. Yep. Senility or dementia has set in. Seriously. On the rare occasions when I've seen this happen, it's almost always an older person and they're almost always agitated and rant-prone.

And I think we're seeing something comparable with Bush. I think that, basically, he's losing his shit. He's in way over his head. He's never been smart enough to stay on top of the game without a lot of assistance. So while Karl or Dick might have a firm handle on the situation, Bush himself feels very helpless, very trapped. They're coming at him from all directions. All his plans are blowing up in his face. It's wearing him down.

Now, whether this will actually have an effect on politics in the US, I have no idea. Probably Cheney and Rove are already doing everything within their considerable power to make sure that it doesn't. It wouldn't surprise me at all if they succeed.
posted by Clay201 at 11:11 PM on December 9, 2005

He's Doug Thompson. You can also see him here.
posted by Bighappyfunhouse at 11:13 PM on December 9, 2005

Clay201 - Do you honestly think that a statement overheard by three of this guy's sources, not reported in any major news media, will have any impact at all on politics? This column does nothing more than prove that Doug Thompson is a blowhard who employs hearsay and flawed rhetoric to get his point across. I really don't think it's necessary to rely on rumour to indict Bush of incompetence, stupidity, and a lack of respect for the basic rights of every American and human being. We can look to the record of his public actions and words for a damning body of evidence for that.
posted by lemur at 11:26 PM on December 9, 2005

screenshots or it didn't happen.
posted by dopamine at 11:31 PM on December 9, 2005

As much as I hate Bush, this article doesn't hold water. If you have other independent news sources please post them. If not, a bit of advice, don't believe everything that you read no matter how much you want or believe it to be true.
posted by Mijo Bijo at 11:35 PM on December 9, 2005

George W. = Beast Rabban.
Jeb = Feyd Rautha.
posted by geekhorde at 11:35 PM on December 9, 2005

subpoena the oval office for those AIM logs!
posted by soviet sleepover at 11:36 PM on December 9, 2005

I'm not kjh, but I'd have to say both.

Unfortunately the former seems to be the fucking president of the united states.
posted by kjell at 11:40 PM on December 9, 2005

Monkey #435,948, quit posting your dribble and get back to shakespeare.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 11:42 PM on December 9, 2005

Bare-knuckle hardball political rumor mongering.

Yuck.

Is this so repellant it hurts our cause to be spreading this rumor? I'm no damn good at this game. Someone bribe Ben Stein or something, he seems like a smart guy to manage the sinister portion of this campaign.
posted by Richard Daly at 11:43 PM on December 9, 2005

The way this is presented is very poor. The fact that it's believable is even worse.
posted by Protocols of the Elders of Awesome at 11:45 PM on December 9, 2005

Without that "goddamned piece of paper" Bush is just another dry drunk in Washington.
posted by clevershark at 11:46 PM on December 9, 2005

I wish it was true, it would expose consciously the currently unconscious attitudes held by those who to a great degree control the conditions of the lives of our children, especially those overseas. If it were true, I would buy a TV just to watch the Fox News 24-hour loop of Sen. John McCain bodyslamming our Great Leader.
posted by SanitarySewer at 11:51 PM on December 9, 2005

Does anyone else remember the arm-chair psychoanalysis of the President that CapitalHillBlues pulled? Or the rumors they were spreading that Bush was back on the sauce? Does this really look like someone lots of conservative GOP staffers speak to often?

All I want for Christmas is for America to agree to never partonise these guys, NewsMax, or CNS news ever again. Are you listening Santa?
posted by aburd at 11:53 PM on December 9, 2005

Whether he said it or not, he thinks it. (If they can accuse people of thoughtcrime, so can I.)
posted by sacrilicious at 11:53 PM on December 9, 2005

posted by caddis at 12:09 AM on December 10, 2005

lemur:

Do you honestly think that a statement overheard ... will have any impact at all on politics?

I'm not sure why you're asking me this since, in my first post I said:

Now, whether this will actually have an effect on politics in the US, I have no idea.

So the answer to your question is: no, I don't think that it will have an impact on politics. Nor do I think that it won't have an impact on politics. As stated, I have no idea one way or the other.

You also said:

I really don't think it's necessary to rely on rumour to indict Bush of incompetence, stupidity, and a lack of respect for the basic rights of every American and human being.

Which is pretty close to what I myself said:

...[H]is [Bush's] actions over the last five years leave little doubt that he doesn't regard the document [the constitution] as sacred in any way. .
posted by Clay201 at 12:11 AM on December 10, 2005

Unbelievable.

Literally.
posted by darkstar at 12:15 AM on December 10, 2005

Yeah, what everyone else said. The guy fucks up enough on his own that I don't need to go to a slanted site with pop-ups to know about it.
I wouldn't be surprised if he did say it, but using "Some people say.." is enough of a problem in today's journalism as it is, and it generally comes from the other side. (*cough* Fox News)
posted by hypersloth at 12:16 AM on December 10, 2005

I was pretty sure he had already voiced his opinion on the Constitution...


posted by grapefruitmoon at 12:17 AM on December 10, 2005

Grapefruitmoon
He thinks the constitution is a broken image link? Well, that explains a lot, doesn't it?
posted by Richard Daly at 12:20 AM on December 10, 2005

I see the image just fine. Puzzling, that.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 12:25 AM on December 10, 2005

Churchill said that the treaty at Yalta, dividing Europe, was just, "a piece of paper".
posted by Tarn at 12:29 AM on December 10, 2005

I get a 403 Forbidden
posted by Richard Daly at 12:34 AM on December 10, 2005

there's gotta be some sort of secondary source out there for this if its true...
posted by Doorstop at 12:34 AM on December 10, 2005

Adding a www prefix seems to help firefox 1.0x. And that's a funny picture, too.
posted by Richard Daly at 12:35 AM on December 10, 2005

Yep, adding the www prefix worked for me... The webmaster might consider adding a 301 redirect to fix that..
posted by hypersloth at 12:58 AM on December 10, 2005

I don't believe it.
posted by grouse at 1:05 AM on December 10, 2005

Well, I agree with Gonzales... A statement that I never thought I would ever utter. The constitution is a bit outdated. Particularly the electoral college part. Fix that and the rest will sort itself out.
posted by herting at 1:13 AM on December 10, 2005

Capital Hill blue, as most of you know but some of you don't, is the Weekly World News of the political scene. That being said, there is always the chance that something written in it is true, in a Men in Black sort of way.
posted by Joey Michaels at 1:15 AM on December 10, 2005

The words match his actions. Whether he actually said it or not, the shoe fits.
posted by Jatayu das at 3:31 AM on December 10, 2005

The way the "Patriot Act" was originally passed shows all too well what these mooks think of the Constitution, which makes this all too believable... even if it can't be proven. The name of the game is POWER, and the Constitution is in the way.

After all, this is the same guy that said "If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier...just as long as I'm the dictator." --Washington, DC, Dec 18, 2000

In questions of power, then, let no more be heard of confidence in men, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.
-Thomas Jefferson, 1799
posted by Enron Hubbard at 3:49 AM on December 10, 2005

How many people were in this meeting? Who were they? Unless it was a secret meeting, there must be an exact list, right?

"Last month, Republican Congressional leaders filed into the Oval Office to meet with President George W. Bush and talk about renewing the controversial USA Patriot Act."

And of those few, there can't be many who would have talked so candidly to this guy. So it can't be hard for insiders to guess which "Republican Congressional leaders" (or other folk at the meeting?) talked to him, assuming it's true.
posted by pracowity at 3:54 AM on December 10, 2005

Interesting how this supposed leader of America seems to rely more on another "piece of paper" The Bible, for guidance. But only selectively, of course. I think the country is in the midst of a Christian jihad that will either wake up a lot of people, or prove to be the downfall of our system as we have known it, for over 200 years.
posted by GreyFoxVT at 4:26 AM on December 10, 2005

I want to see revelations printed on toilet ppaer & installed in congresses bathrooms, nothing like some short sighted bible thumper representative whiping with the bible. :)
posted by jeffburdges at 4:51 AM on December 10, 2005

Konstitisyon se papye, bayonet se fè. (The Constitution is paper, the bayonets are steel.) —Haitian proverb
posted by Slithy_Tove at 5:17 AM on December 10, 2005

(calling) bullshit
posted by swift at 5:25 AM on December 10, 2005

I doubt this source but if he did say it does that mean we can get rid of the pesky 2nd Ammendment?
posted by Ber at 5:37 AM on December 10, 2005

Cheney said that "Babies taste better with bernaise." It's TRUE! The internets told me.
posted by password at 5:41 AM on December 10, 2005

Like Mulder, I want to believe. But I'd really, really like to see some corroboration. That Web site looks like an American version of Debka.
posted by alumshubby at 5:44 AM on December 10, 2005

They don't though. Babies taste best with a nice chasseur sauce.
posted by CunningLinguist at 5:45 AM on December 10, 2005

And what Joey Michaels said about Capitol Hill Blue = Weekly World News.
posted by CunningLinguist at 5:47 AM on December 10, 2005

and bush is nothing but a goddamn piece of meat ...
posted by pyramid termite at 6:06 AM on December 10, 2005

The preceding comments are erudite and thought provoking but I'd rather discuss how that fucking smileys popunder always hangs up my browser and makes me feel like killing somebody.
posted by Turtles all the way down at 6:22 AM on December 10, 2005

Yeah a single link to a scetchy article does not make for a good post.
posted by parallax7d at 6:34 AM on December 10, 2005

jeffburdges writes: nothing like some short sighted bible thumper representative whiping with the bible. :)

I hate it when people get whipped with the bible. Speaking of which, I would love to see a WWF Wrestling match betwixt Georgie "The Fortunate Son" and that piece of paper/parchment/hemp: The constitution. I hear the Constitution has an awesome sleeper hold.
posted by Skygazer at 6:51 AM on December 10, 2005

CunningLinguist : " They don't though. Babies taste best with a nice chasseur sauce."

Well, yeah. Everyone knows that they do.
posted by graventy at 6:58 AM on December 10, 2005

As much as I'd like to catch that mindless White House squatter making such an outrageous statement, this article has no credibility.
posted by bshock at 7:15 AM on December 10, 2005

CapitolHillBlue is for liberals what porn is for pizza delivery men. Sure, pizza guys would sure like to believe that hot women will want to have sex with them at the homes where they make their deliveries, and I suppose it's an enjoyable thing to think happens, but it's mostly fantasy.

On the other hand, CHB had a bunch of articles over the summer about how Bush was becoming progressively unhinged. Then hurricane Katrina happened, and it turned out that, in fact, Bush was as out of touch as CHB said he was and that Bush's staff was as in fear of his temper and unwilling to tell him any news of the outside world as CHB said they were.
posted by deanc at 7:30 AM on December 10, 2005

I'll also add that the first few paragraphs for the article are in no way out of line with what we already know about Bush. "I don’t give a goddamn, I’m the President and the Commander-in-Chief. Do it my way," and "Stop throwing the Constitution in my face. It’s just a goddamned piece of paper! is it no way outside the realm of his behavior, both in public ("I'm the president, I don't have to explain myself." / "It would be a lot easier if this were a dictatorship, but I'd be the dictator.") and private ("A youngish aide who is a Bush favorite described the perils of correcting the boss. 'The first time I told him he was wrong, he started yelling at me,'").

So, yeah, maybe I would like some better sourcing, but this doesn't tell us anything about Bush that we don't already know.
posted by deanc at 7:35 AM on December 10, 2005

George W. = Beast Rabban.
Jeb = Feyd Rautha.

And of course Karl Rove = Vladimir Harkonnen.

But what's little-known in this saga is that Muad'Dib = Yahoo Serious, who we sadly rejected in a fit of uncharacteristic and ill-timed good taste.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:42 AM on December 10, 2005

Dude, it was awesome when Clinton, imprisoned by Rove and Andy Card, totally spit poison right into Card's face before he died. That was Bad Ass.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 7:46 AM on December 10, 2005

One of the more subtle criticisms of Bush that I've heard is about Bush's statement that his most important duty as president is protecting the American people... the rejoinder was "no, that'd be your oath of office: preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the US."

There's always a strong subcurrent found in Conservatard sloganeering that "the Constitution isn't a death-pact"... meh.
posted by Heywood Mogroot at 8:11 AM on December 10, 2005

Well, he's entitled to his opinion, what matters is how he acts.
posted by delmoi at 8:24 AM on December 10, 2005

George Bush doesn't care about paper, people.
posted by Haruspex at 8:27 AM on December 10, 2005

"no, that'd be your oath of office: preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the US."

The National Archives has a locked door and a security guard, so this is covered.
posted by brain_drain at 8:58 AM on December 10, 2005

CHB had a bunch of articles over the summer about how Bush was becoming progressively unhinged....

Pffft. With the declining approval ratings and the stalled legislation, everyone knew that was going on.
posted by my sock puppet account at 8:59 AM on December 10, 2005

He's right, y'know
posted by hackly_fracture at 10:42 PM PST on December 9 [!]
at least he has his facts strait.
posted by thanatogenous at 10:43 PM PST on December 9 [!]


Err,. the words are on PARCHMENT not paper.

Its good to know that the Defenders of the Constutition know that George Bush, leader of the free world has their back....solid.
posted by rough ashlar at 9:11 AM on December 10, 2005

Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.
posted by klangklangston at 9:17 AM on December 10, 2005

Haruspex wins! :)
posted by jeffburdges at 9:28 AM on December 10, 2005

That's right George, it is. Just like the bible.
posted by Decani at 10:00 AM on December 10, 2005

Unfortunately it is the bit of paper that gives him authoritah.
posted by ilsa at 10:44 AM on December 10, 2005

Does Bush blaspheme?
posted by Drexen at 10:50 AM on December 10, 2005

Serious question on this: In the event that this is found to be true, is this a clear violation of the oath GWB took for this office, and if so, what happens when a president violates the oath?
posted by Kickstart70 at 11:29 AM on December 10, 2005

Does anyone else remember the arm-chair psychoanalysis of the President that CapitalHillBlues pulled? Or the rumors they were spreading that Bush was back on the sauce?

HA! Exactly - boy, were their faces red when it turned out that Bush was completely in touch with reality, fostering a climate of sensible, direct communication, and not drinking at all! Hoo-boy!
posted by soyjoy at 11:38 AM on December 10, 2005

dear Journalism,

Please come back to life. Please remind your children to cite their sources and fight for them to go on the record, so that seriously important shit like the President Of The United States intentionally disregarding the Constitution of said states isn't laughably deniable.

Sincerely,

The (remaining) free world
posted by shmegegge at 11:49 AM on December 10, 2005

Sorry, I had to flag this. This is so obviously a retarded fabrication that to take it seriously is an admission of gullibility beyond measure, and to put it on metafilter as a profound single-link post is ridiculous.
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 11:59 AM on December 10, 2005

honestly, have any of you who say the constitution is outdated READ it? and have you read the casework which has clarified it for our era? if you have not, please do NOT say it is outdated. its still alive and kicking and struggling against those who would degrade it.

...and i still believe that the quote in question here is WAY too convenient.
posted by Doorstop at 12:07 PM on December 10, 2005

I'm actually surprised that there has not been any attempted assasinations on Bush, most of the world hates him. There has to be somebody who would go down in flames to go down in history.
posted by ackeber at 12:51 PM on December 10, 2005

There was that dud grenade situation in Germany, I believe.

But yeah, I'm surprised there's not been a domestic attempt that we know of.

Saying that, and protecting myself from the authorities, I have no wish at all to see Bush dead. I just want to see his sorry ass out of office so he quits pissing on what I love about the U.S.
posted by Kickstart70 at 1:11 PM on December 10, 2005